2014 Fantasy Football Profile: QB Josh McCown

By Brad Berreman

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

It’s safe to say Josh McCown has been an NFLjourneyman, but he got an opportunity with the Chicago Bearslast year when Jay Cutler went down and made the most of it, throwing for 1,829 yards with 13 touchdowns and just one interception in eight games (five starts). In his five starts he threw for more than 270 yards and multiple touchdowns four times (three 300-yard games), and that production led to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signing McCown to a two-year deal in March. McCown will reunite with former Bears’ head coach Lovie Smith in Tampa.

Positives

McCown is the front runner to start Week 1 for the Buccaneers, and with the team looking to return to contention with other notable offseason additions that makes sense.

McCown has said he has a “comfort zone” throwing to big receivers, and Tampa Bay added wide receiver Mike Evans (6’5″) and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (6’6″) in May’s draft to go along with Vincent Jackson (6’5″).

Negatives

McCown will turn 35 in July and only has 38 career starts, so a fall back to Earth could come this year. Second-year man Mike Glennon had some good moments as a rookie last year, and it’s not out of the question he sees significant playing time this year if McCown struggles.

With Doug Martin now healthy and a deep group of running backs behind him on the depth chart, the Buccaneers are likely to run the ball more than they did in 2013 (26.3 times per game; 21st in the league) under new offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford.

Final Verdict

It would be surprising to see McCown’s success from last season carry over seamlessly to this year, even with a clear path to the starting job as of right now. The talent around him should help him succeed though, much as it did in Chicago last year, and McCown does have some upside as a QB2 and potential bye week replacement in deeper leagues.

Bye Week: Week 7

Projected Round: 12th Round

Auction Value: $2 (Fantasy Sharks.com)

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter or connect on Google +.